


In Sickness and in Health

by MissMorwen



Series: BuckyNat Prompts [10]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel 616
Genre: #BuckyNat Week, Buckynat feels, F/M, POV Bucky Barnes, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Natasha Romanov, Tumblr Prompt, What am I doing to these two?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-02 01:44:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6545431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMorwen/pseuds/MissMorwen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“The trap,” Natalia said. “You were infected with just about every disease known to man, and a few that wasn’t till you caught them.”<br/>“Huh, didn’t think I could get sick.”<br/>“Yeah, me neither. It’s one of the things I like about you,” she said and Bucky could see it was meant as a joke. But her hands were pressed into the pockets of her jacket so hard that the outline of her knuckles was showing through.</p>
<p>***********</p>
<p>BuckyNat prompt: Things you said when you were feverish</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Sickness and in Health

Bucky woke to a world of pain. His body hurt like it hadn’t since…well, since he’d been Zola’s lab rat. Muscles aching and fire coursing down his spine. He must have given some kind of indication that he was awake, because speakers crackled to life and Natalia’s voice rang out, distorted by the electronic.

“James?” She was standing on the other side of a large window embedded in the wall of the sterile room. So close to the glass she was almost touching it.

Oh, yeah the explosion. The feeling of suffocation. The bomb had probably been laced with something nasty. “What happened,” he said, or rather tried to say. His throat was so dry only fragments of the words actually left his lips, but she understood it anyway.

“The trap,” she said. “You were infected with just about every disease known to man, and a few that wasn’t till you caught them.”

“Huh, didn’t think I could _get_ sick.”

“Yeah, me neither. It’s one of the things I like about you,” Natalia said and he could see it was meant as a joke. But her hands were pressed into the pockets of her jacket so hard that the outline of her knuckles was showing through.

Bucky got out of bed. It was a bad idea and he would no doubt pay for it later, but he managed it without looking his chronological age. He had to lean against the glass when he finally got there, winded by just the few steps. The line of worry between her brows only got deeper.

“Any word on when I get out?” he said, trying to sound unconcerned.

“The jury’s still out on that, but not till they’re sure you’re not infectious.”

“And here I was hoping you could nurse me back to health.”

It didn’t get the response he’d hoped for. Natalia only frowned at him.

“What’s wrong? You’re not usually this easily shook up.”

“Before your fever broke, when the combined effort of Ebola, the plague and who knows what else were still trying to kill you, you asked me to take care of Becca.”

“Oh, I’m sure I didn’t mean it like that.” Bucky said. “The home’s staff takes care of everything.”

She waved him off. “That’s not the point. You were saying goodbye, James. You were giving up.” Her upper lip twitched, like she wanted to snarl at him. “You damn near gave Steve a heart attack.”

And her too, apparently, but Bucky didn’t mention it, because she was furious enough as it was. “But I didn’t give up, I’m still here.”

The microphone on her side wasn’t sensitive enough to pick up her breathing, but he saw her chest rise and fall as she drew in air and exhaled deeply.

“Besides, you’d probably kill me if I dared to die on your watch,” he said, finally managing to get at least a half-smile out of her.

“That was a terrible joke.”

“Yeah, it was.” He put a hand, the right one, flat against the glass separating them and she mirrored his movement. It wasn’t like touching her, but it would have to do for now. When he got out there was a strong possibility she wouldn’t leave his side for days, maybe weeks if he was lucky. He could wait; he’d wait forever for her if he had to.


End file.
